About this opportunity
Applications are open for Cohort 2 of the African Union Enterprise Africa Network (EAN) Fellowship Programme , an AUC startup acceleration initiative designed to help promising African MSMEs strengthen their businesses, access markets and expand across the continent. The programme will select 100 fellows from all 55 African Union Member States and aims to support participating businesses in generating new revenue and creating jobs.
The previous cohort trained 56 fellows from 30 African countries and generated more than US$1 million in deals and contracts . What the Fellowship Offers Selected fellows will receive: 12 months of structured business training Training across 10 modules tailored to different sectors and business stages Expert mentorship through African Union partners Intellectual property support Access to the African Trade Observatory (ATO) and AfCFTA market intelligence tools Access to continental business events Market-entry support across selected AfCFTA pilot countries B2B matchmaking opportunities for scale-ready businesses.
Eligibility
The fellowship is open to youth- and women-led small enterprises that: Are registered and operating in an African Union Member State Are formally registered as a business Have been operating for at least two years Have a minimum of three full-time employees . The African Union is particularly encouraging applications from women-led enterprises, businesses from underrepresented African regions and enterprises from small island Member States .
Eligible Sectors The programme covers seven sectors divided into two clusters. Products Cluster: Manufacturing Agro-processing Creative industries Services Cluster: ICT/Digital Fintech Health Logistics/Transport.
Three Fellowship Tiers Applicants will be placed into a tier according to the maturity of their enterprise: Tier 1 – Growth For businesses operating for 2–5 years , with at least three employees and demonstrable market traction. 35 places available.
Tier 2 – Expansion For businesses operating for 5–10 years , employing 10–30 people and demonstrating cross-border ambitions. 40 places available.
Tier 3 – Scale-Ready For enterprises operating for 10+ years or those with an investor-ready profile. 25 places available.
What Applicants Need The application requires information about the business, including: Business registration details Sector and years of operation Number of employees Countries where the business currently trades Revenue range Intellectual property status Access to formal finance An 800-word pitch explaining the business, its main market challenge and what it hopes to achieve through the fellowship. Shortlisted applicants will later be asked to provide a document verifying access to finance, such as a bank statement or mobile money statement.
Application timeline
September 30, 2026. The programme is scheduled to begin in November 2026 , with results expected to be communicated in October.
Why You Should Apply
For African businesses looking beyond their domestic markets, this fellowship offers more than training. The combination of AfCFTA market intelligence, mentorship, market-entry support and B2B matchmaking can help established small businesses prepare for regional expansion.
This is particularly relevant for businesses that already have traction and are ready to explore opportunities in other African markets.
Application steps
Interested entrepreneurs can review the requirements and submit their applications through the official African Union platform
Sources and verification
- Official source , Discovered by the opportunity automation module.
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